


Buckholm Syndrome

by Sangvinsk



Series: The Dancing Elephant [2]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Fake Relationship, Fluff, Hate Crime, Interspecies Relationship, Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-07
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-08-20 02:03:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8232226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sangvinsk/pseuds/Sangvinsk
Summary: It was the kiss, Judy decided. The kiss had made it awkward.The duo is still trying to figure out their emotions, and doing their very best not to let them influence their police work. They may be in over their heads on both counts, however, when Chief Bogo orders them to investigate a string of hate crimes at the Xanadu resort.





	1. Chapter One

"ZPD! Stop!"

Why did they always shout that, Nick wondered as he ran. Did anyone actually stop? He knew he hadn't, back in the day.

Now, on the other hand, he was on the other end of the chase: he and Judy were in pursuit of a criminal racoon making his way down the alley with a sack of stolen apples. It seemed an absurd crime, but then again, it was that kind of day.

What really impressed him was the perp's speed. Judy was the precinct running champion, and the only reason he could keep up with her was his longer legs and a hefty jogging routine. The racoon wasn't slipping away, but they weren't catching up either.

A car parked at the end of the alley gave him hope: the thief tried to scramble up the trunk, loosing precious seconds. He spared Judy a glance, but she didn't take her eyes of their target. It didn't matter. He knew they both thought the same thing.

Pressing out the last ounce of strength from his legs, he pushed ahead of her. He jumped and twisted, sliding _under_ the car, shielding his tail from harm. He emerged on the other side just before the perp was about to drop off the hood.

A split second too early: the racoon tensed, changed direction, and jumped, grabbing hold of the lower part of a fire escape. Agile paws allowed him to climb it nimbly with one free hand.

Nick pushed himself up to pursue, but was thrown down again as Judy, almost flying over the car, crashed into him and sent them both sprawling.

The rabbit raised her head, groggily. Somehow, she had managed to keep her hat on during the pursuit. She wasn't hurt; in fact, she was sitting on something soft. She looked about her.

"The racoon... Where...?"

"Gone, fluff" said a voice from below her. "Took the fire escape."

Her ears sank. It had been the most exiting case all week, and they'd let him get away. She sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Err, fluff?"

She opened her eyes, looking down at an uncomfortable looking fox. She suddenly realised that the reason she was sitting on something warm was because she was straddling his hips. She climbed off hurriedly, her ears blushing a deep red.

She heard him get to his feet, but couldn't look at him.

"You all right, Carrots?" He asked.

"I'm fine" she muttered.

"Are you sure? You look a little-"

"I said I was fine!" She snapped, then deflated a little. "I'm just... I'm just annoyed he got away, that's all..."

She heard the fox chuckle, then felt a paw under her chin that made her look straight up.

"Oh, I don't think you need to worry about that..."

Judy blinked, then grinned. She could hear the fox start to laugh, and joined in.

There, at the top off the decommissioned fire escape, unable to get either up nor down, was a very bewildered, very angry racoon.

\---

It was the kiss, Judy decided. It was the kiss that was making this awkward.

They'd kissed once, the night of the concert. They'd sworn to each other that they wanted everything back to the way they were, and then they had shared a single, perfectly normal, earth-shattering kiss in her apartment. The rain had beaten down against the window, the fox had sat on her bed, and she had stood up on tip-toe to kiss him full on the muzzle.

And since then, things had been awkward.

Neither of them really seemed to know what to do with their paws: even the most casual physical contact suddenly seemed utterly important, and eventually stopped altogether. There was a lot of clearing of throats. The banter and the jokes flew back and forth like before, of course, but now they seemed sort of forced. As if they both knew that they had something else they wanted to say, but if pressed would not be able to articulate what that would be.

Wasn't there.... Protocols for this sort thing? A mandatory amount of public dinner dates? Hand holding? Large amounts of baseball?

She vaguely recalled her sisters talking about dating, and most of the conversations seemed to revolve around which 'base' people had gotten to. Honestly, she'd mostly tuned out all giggling, and at any rate, she'd never much cared for the sport.

Athletic preferences aside, Judy was in over her head. This annoyed her. This shouldn't _be_ complicated. She had her fo- she had Nick back in her life, which was what she wanted. He wanted to be with her as well. Elementary logic suggested that everything was now all right, but instead, both she and Nick seemed to be walking on eggshells. It was frustrating, and it was starting to affect their work. The scene with the racoon this morning was only one example; the case with the Grey Wolf Garage had been much more egregious.

These were the thoughts that ran through her head as she and Nick walked towards Chief Bogo's office. Being summoned there was never a good sign, and her already frayed nerves were at a breaking point.

"Just calm down and let me do the talking" Nick muttered to her as he opened the door for them.

The blinds were closed, but sunlight seeped through them. Chief Bogo was cast in silhouette, a primordial horror rising from behind his desk. They shared a chair before him, and he leaned his head on his folded hooves, looking at them.

Everyone was quiet for a second

"Hopps, Wilde" Bogo said at last. "We need to address the concept of... Interspecies dating."

"We're not dating!" Judy said, panicked. Nick slapped a paw against his face. Bogo blinked, surprised, but Judy pressed on. "We're just friends! We've never even-! I mean- you don't need to split us up!"

"... I know."

Judy stopped, staring at her commanding officer. The water buffalo actually seemed bemused.

"It's well known that you're a career bunny, Hopps, and even I know that Wilde here was recently involved with another fox. Which reminds me: Wilde, if I catch you bringing your personal life to work one more time, I'm posting you in Sahara Square in a winter uniform, clear?"

"Crystal, sir."

"Now, where were we..."

The buffalo sorted through his papers, then looked up at them again.

"Have either of you heard of the Xanadu resort?"

Judy shook her head, but Nick nodded slowly.

"It's a luxury resort on the outskirts of Tundratown, sir" he replied. He glanced at Judy. "Very fancy. It's known for being open to... Unconventional couples."

"You can say 'interspecies', Wilde, it's the twenty-first century. Nobody cares."

Then he sighed, and handed them a folder.

"Or at least, no one did" he said, wearily.

The two of them looked through the folder in silence.

Inside it were a number of complaints reports. A llama/aardvark couple had had their luggage stolen. Someone had spray painted some rather unpleasant words on the hotel door of a same-sex reindeer couple.

What had been done to the sheep of wolf/sheep couple was probably best left unsaid.

Judy looked up at the stoic chief Bogo in horror.

"Who would do something like this?"

He shrugged his massive shoulders.

"Well, that's up to you two to find out."

"Got it, sir" Judy replied crisply, flicking the folder shut and jumping to the floor. "The address is pretty far out, but with the police cruiser we should be-"

"No."

The two of them looked at the chief, who was rubbing his eyes with a hoof.

"We've had cases like this before, Hopps. Once uniform shows up, these people go underground. That's why we're sending you two. Undercover."

There was a brief pause.

"As a couple."

Judy noticed that Nick's tail stiffened, and she winched. Was it so terrible for him to pretend to be her boyfriend? It wasn't like... No, no time for this now. But she had to say something to Chief Bogo.

She cleared her throat.

"Chief, I don't think-"

The hoof struck the table with barely contained fury.

"Confound you, Hopps, do you think I _care_ what you think? Mayor Fenris is staking his reelection on the Marriage Equality Act, and he is _right up my tail_ for us to fix this! You two are the best I have, you'd make a prime target for bigotes, and frankly, I can do without your nonsense for a week. So you _will_ go to that resort, you _will_ pretend to have a good time, and you _will_ pretend to be madly and passionately in love with that fox! _Am I making myself clear?_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The series continues! As always, your comments and kudos inspire me.


	2. Chapter Two

The lobby of the Xanadu resort was _massive_.

There was no other word for it; the ceiling was at least three stories up, supporting three giant crystal chandeliers. The far wall consisted exclusively of glass, giving an unrivalled view of the glacier-filled valley below. Nick stood by the polished marble counter with their bags, checking in. This left Judy, wearing the grey t-shirt she usually wore off-duty, to explore.

She had now spent more than a year in Zootopia, and she already thought of herself as a city rabbit. She loved Bunnyburrow, of course, but Zootopia was her home. She didn't feel like a country bumpkin at all.

Until she stepped foot in this hotel.

Her feet sunk into the thick, red carpet as she walked towards the enormous glass wall. Snow leopard waiters passed with dignified looks, serving fancy drinks in cocktail glasses to smartly dressed businessmammals. There was a grand staircase behind her that could have belonged in a Clark Gibbon movie. A small quartet of kudus were playing classical music on a little stage as the guests chatted in subdued voices. Emperor suite by Katz Jospeh Haydn, if she were to guess. Not that she listened to that sort of thing, of course, but Fru-Fru had had a band at the christening of Baby Judy.

It was all...

"... So amazing!"

Judy glanced to her left at the sound, and did a double take. The ewe beside her gave her a puzzled smile, and Judy forced herself to return it. At first glance, the sheep had looked almost exactly like Bellwether, right down to the little bell around the neck. On closer inspection, she appeared to be a different type of sheep. Judy relaxed, and the sheep put a hoof to her mouth, giggling.

"Oh, I'm sorry, it's just that I've never been here before, and it's all so amazing! Have you ever seen anything like it?"

"No, never" Judy replied with a smile, a genuine one this time. She glanced at the majestic view again. If anything, she was reminded of the first time she'd taken the train into Zootopia. The only thing missing was a Gazelle song. _Fire and ice_ , perhaps?

The sheep put forth a hoof.

"Mary" she said, happily. "I'm here on my honeymoon. How about you?"

"Judy" Judy replied, taking the hoof in her paw. "Just on a vacation with my... Boyfriend."

"Oh, that's nice. Is he a bunny too?"

Judy hesitated, but relaxed when a portly beaver waddled over and kissed the ewe on the cheek. She giggled again, and the beaver put his arm around her, turning to Judy.

"Oh, don't mind my Mary" he said jovially. "She does like to tease people. I'm Al, Al Woodworth. Big name in lumber!"

"Sweetie, stop! You're on your holiday now."

"I'm on my honeymoon, you mean" the beaver replied in a sultry voice, and kissed her full on the lips. Judy looked away, embarrassed, as the sheep lifted one hoof behind her in joy. It wasn't that she minded interspecies couples, it was just... A little new to her. Besides, open affection was unusual in Bunnyburrow. Luckily they didn't seem to notice, and turned back to her with a smile.

"Mary's just a little unused to tolerant surroundings" Al confided. Judy gave him a reassuring smile.

"That's alright, mr. Woodworth. I'm... In an interspecies relationship myself, actually."

"Please, call me Al. And I might have known! So, what is he? Woodchuck? Maybe a boar?"

"Al!"

"No, no, it's okay, he's a-"

She broke off as she saw an expression of fear spreading across their faces. Before she could ask them what was wrong, she felt a familiar paw rubbing the top of her head affectionately.

"There you are, Carrots! Making friends I see. They gave us a medium sized room, I hope that's okay?"

There was a stunned silence, and Nick looked from Judy to the Woodworth couple.

"What?"

Al cleared his throat.

"Ah, you must be Judy's... Boyfriend?"

"Yes" Nick replied, then added, a little sharper: "Is that a problem?"

"No" Mary said firmly, squeezing her husband's paw. Out of the two of them, the beaver now looked the most sheepish. He rubbed his neck ruefully.

"No, no, of course not. No offence intended, mister....?"

"Wilde. Nick Wilde. And none taken."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a little while. Then Mary struck her hooves together, cheerfully.

"Well! We should probably go check in too! Nice to meet you two, Judy, Nick. Ooh! Lets meet up for dinner! Anyway, see you!"

The happy couple bustled away, and Nick gave them his most charming look as they left.

"Anti-vulpinism? Or just opponents of predator/prey relationships?" He mused silently. "I used to be able to tell..."

Judy looked up at him sharply.

"What do you mean? You've been in one before?"

He raised his paws placatingly, but didn't actually answer her.

"Patiences, Hopps" he said soothingly. "Besides, save that wrath. Bogo has a surprise waiting for us in the room."

\---

The surprise was that there was a bed. _A_ bed.

They stood before it silently, their bags by their side, looking at it. Nick scratched at the carpet with his foot.

"Well, floor's pretty soft" he said evenly. "I can sleep there."

"So can I" she retorted, then jerked her head at a fox-sized chair. "Or in that, for that matter. Much more comfortably."

"Ah. Of course."

They stood in silence for a little while longer. Then they both spoke at once.

"Judy-"

"Nick-"

They looked at one another.

"Since when do you call me Judy?" She asked, accusingly.

She'd expected a witty reply. Instead, he just cleared his throat, and busied himself with unpacking. Staring at the fox for a little while, she sighed, then took her own bag over to the dresser.

The tension was back.

They'd managed to shake it off in the lobby, her mesmerised by luxury, him bemused by her fascination. They'd bantered easily enough on the way up. But the bed had brought it all back up somehow, and it was starting to sink in that they were supposed to be here as a couple.

You could cut the air like treacle.

Nick sat down on the bed, rummaging through his suitcase with an absent minded expression. Judy searched through her bag for her phone charger for three minutes before realising she had it in her hand. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Okay, that is _it_!"

Nick looked up at her abrupt declaration, and saw the bunny marching towards him with a determined expression. Before he could say anything, she'd jumped up into his lap, grabbed him by the tie, and pulled his head down for a kiss.

It lasted longer this time. Their lips were pressed together for nearly a minute. Then Judy pulled away from the stunned fox, taking a shaking breath.

"Okay, so that's... _that_ out of the way" she decided, her nose twitching just a little bit. She looked up at the gaping fox.

"Look" she began. "Nick, we're friends. Maybe we're something more. _We'll figure it out_. We'll talk it all through and decide what we want. Eventually. But right now, we're police officers. And as strange as it may sound, that means we'll have to be... lovers. For the moment."

She looked up at him, still not letting go of the tie. Embarrassed, she looked down, fiddling with it.

"I'm... As confused as you are, alright? I am. But we're not doing this for us, we're doing it for those animals that were attacked. For that sheep. Not Mary, although her too, I suppose. I mean the one in the picture. In the hospital bed. And if we're going to do that, we'll have to... Be a little more touchy feely. As an act."

She looked up at him again. His mouth still hadn't closed. He met her gaze mutely.

Then he closed his muzzle and cleared his throat.

"I- yeah. Yeah, you're right. That was unprofessional of me. What... What do you want me to do?"

She held his gaze for a moment, then looked down again, feeling her ears turning red.

"Maybe p-put your arms around me? You know. Affectionately."

For a moment he didn't move. Then she felt those long, thin arms slowly fold themselves over her back. She felt her knees go weak. She hid it by sinking into it, curling up in his lap. To her relief, the arms followed, enveloping her.

"That's good" she whispered, pressing her face against his shirt-clad chest. How long was it since the last time they'd cuddled?

His voice sounded a little raw.

"Anything- anything else?"

She breathed in deeply.

He used lavender soap. She knew that. But somewhere beneath it was the smell of... Fox, she supposed. A rich, deep musk. She'd smelled it before, it was just a little more... Overpowering, now?

"Maybe... Call me pet names?" She murmured. It was a nice scent. "Like... Sweetheart? Or honey? And I'll call you...darling?"

He was silent for a little while. She felt his arms pressing her closer.

"Sure thing, sweetheart."

She breathed in again, closing her eyes in contentment.

Perhaps this case wouldn't be so bad after all?


	3. Chapter Three

"Oh, _sweetheart_ , you have some food on your face!"

"Where, _darling_?"

"Right here..."

Judy giggled as she felt Nick's delicate paw slide across her cheek, wiping away the raspberry creme that had gotten stuck to her face. Truth to be told, she had been a little nervous about whether or not they'd be able to pull it off, faking being lovers. But they were professional, and Nick used to be a con man. The two glasses of wine had helped as well. Chianti, was that what he'd called it? It had grown on her.

Nick inspected the scrap of dessert on his paw, then playfully licked it. She gave a delighted shriek, and punched him lightly.

" _Nick_! That still had some of my fur on it!"

"So?" He asked, and leaned his snout down towards her. It was tantalisingly close. "I like the taste of rabbit..."

Her fresh wave of giggles were drowned out by a cacophony of spluttering and coughing from the other side of the table. She looked coyly at their dinner companions.

"Oh dear, darling" she said playfully. "I think you shocked mister Woodworth."

"... Al..." The beaver managed to get out, in between coughs. "Call me Al...."

Mary was slapping him on the back, looking apologetic, but also slightly pink. Nick chuckled, and leaned back in his chair, away from Judy. She missed the warmth, but decided not to press the point. Grabbing her glass with a petite paw, she smiled brightly at the ewe, who returned it shyly. Judy scanned the room with half closed eyes, feeling content.

The dining room was almost as splendid as the lobby, flushed with pillars and gold trimmings. They were all dressed up, Judy in a tight-fitting, purple dress that highlighted her eyes, Nick in a casual suit with a pink shirt. He looked sharp. He looked _really_ sharp.

Averting her eyes from her foxy friend, she returned her attention to the ewe. Now it was her turn to look apologetic.

"Sorry" she said bashfully. "It's just so rare we get to eat in a place so... open minded."

"Yeah!" Nick enthused. "Finally, a place no one judges us."

Judy couldn't tell if that was con or sincere. He was good. But Al looked anything but pleased, and shot a look over their shoulders.

"Not everyone," he muttered.

Judy raised her eyebrows, and turned around in her chair.

On the other side of the dining room sat a lone wolf, middle aged and clearly wealthy. Two strapping, muscular wolves stood stiffly to attention behind him. They didn't move. But the looks they gave Judy- no, she realised, her and Nick- were as dark as the arctic night. She furrowed her brow, and turned back.

"Wait, is that... Councilman Odinson? The Predator Pride guy?"

"Yeah" Al sniffed, clearly annoyed. His massive tail slapped hard against the floor. "He's an up-and-comer, apparently. News to me. He didn't have much say in the city council until the whole Bellwether debacle."

Mary put her hoof on her husband's arm, comfortingly.

"That Bellwether really made it hard for us sheep" she said, sadly. "Predator attacks were pretty much ancient history until her little plot, and Odinson was a voice in the wilderness. Then predators go savage. He starts screaming about a prey conspiracy, but nobody takes him seriously..."

"... Until the nutjob is proven right, no thanks to him" Nick finished for her, sourly. "And he can talk about bringing back predator rule. The bad old days."

The ewe nodded, dejected. Judy craned her neck to see again. She spun around to the table when she realised one of the wolves, a golden eyed one with a kukri knife in his belt, was already looking at her. For a moment, she'd felt like she was nine years old again, with Gideon Grey looming over her.

"But what's he doing _here_ , of all places?" She asked, of no one in particular. Mary shrugged.

"He's from the forests up north, I suppose he feels at home here" she said, carelessly. "I've seen him around a few times."

"Enough of the bigots" Al said firmly, and turned to Nick with a smile. "So, Nick. Have you ever tried... kiting? It is a _must_ up her! My wife and I would love to take the two of you..."

The rest of the evening passed in careless chatter.

\---

Judy ended up sleeping in the chair.

By the time they returned to their room, the glasses of wine had pretty much worn off, and she decided they'd made enough of an effort for one evening. When Nick exited the bathroom, she was already curled up in the chair, using a small towel as a blanket. She didn't hear him go to bed.

The next morning, she was woken by the sunlight streaming through the window. Blinking in the early morning light, she looked around the room drowsily. There was a distinct lack of foxes.

The deficiency was quickly rectified as Nick stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel. He wore a shirt and a knitted sweater, looking oddly old fashioned.

"One for the history books" he quipped. "Fox wakes before rabbit."

"Oh, show it..." She said, rolling over and massaging her temples. She was getting better at handling alcohol. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Nick was fixing his hair before the mirror.

"So, you ready to go?"

"Hmm?"

"The kiting. Mary wouldn't give in until we said we'd go."

"'I won't give up, I won't give in'" Judy sang, quoting Gazelle as she stretched. "But this is one 'everything' I'm not going to try. I'm so light, I'll probably fly away. Besides... I think it was mainly you Mary wanted with them."

Nick caught her coy grin in the mirror.

"Carrots, she's on her honeymoon" he said, reproachfully.

"What? A girl can look."

"Not on her honeymoon."

"Fine, fine" she said jumping out of the chair. It really had been remarkably comfortable. "But no, just tell them I'm sick or something. We should mingle, but one of us should go over the crime scenes too. Let's play to our strengths."

"I always do."

She walked to the bathroom, then heard a cough from behind her. Nick hadn't left. He was leaning against the wall, lifting an eyebrow sardonically.

"What, no kiss goodbye from my bunny girlfriend?"

She smiled at him.

"No one to see, slick" she teased. "I'm not that kind of bunny."

He pretended to be in deep thought for a moment.

"... Actually, at this point I think it's clear that you are _exactly_ that kind of bunny."

He ducked the flying pillow, and laughed as he headed out the door. Shaking her head with a smile, she walked into the bathroom. It was going to be a good day.

\---

It was not turning into a good day.

The crimes scenes had, predictably, been cleaned up. It was a hotel, of course they cleaned. The place the sheep had been attacked was now just a patio. The stolen luggage had been in the couple's room, where she couldn't go. The spray painted door still had faint traces of paint on it, but that didn't really help.

She inspected it anyway. It made her feel useful.

Whoever had done all this got around. Simple, and undetected. Someone nobody expected. The staff? A guest?

She rubbed her forehead in frustration.

Something was bothering her. Something about last night, something somebody had said or done, something that didn't quite fit...

"Can I help you?"

She spun around, reaching to her side for the stun gun that wasn't there. She'd left it in her room, stupid, _stupid_...

She'd expected a snow leopard, or possibly a pig. Those two species made up most of the staff, after all. Instead, standing five feet from her in the hallway was a rabbit, roughly her own age, dressed in grey overalls. He looked at her politely.

He looked familiar.

"No, I was just, I was- curious about the paint."

"Vandalism. Haven't been able to paint over it yet."

"Ah."

There was an awkward silence.

"So... Do you live on this floor?" He asked, after a while. She looked at him suspiciously. He looked familiar, but she was sure she hadn't seen him before. Who did he remind her of? A mugshot she'd seen? An ex con?

"No, I live two floors up. Is that a problem?"

"Of course not" he replied, politely. He didn't seem to want to move. It was slowly starting to get on her nerves. She shifted her weight to one foot, uncomfortably.

"Well, I should probably be heading back up now" she said, walking passed him brusquely.

"I can walk with you if you want" he said as she passed. "Officer Hopps."


	4. Chapter Four

Shawn Hazel. That's who he reminded her of.

Not in appearance, of course. Shawn had been a light brown bunny with white spots. The janitor bunny- Jack- was cream coloured. There really was no similarity between them. Nevertheless, that's who she had been reminded of when she saw him, she was sure.

Shawn had been in her class in high school. They weren't friends, they didn't hang out, but for some reason they always walked home together, even thought he lived in Watership, which was in a different part of the tri-burrows. She hadn't asked him to. She hadn't asked him to stop either.

Sometimes, however, she _had_ stayed a little extra late to make sure there would be only the two of them heading home.

She mulled this over as she sat in the janitor's office, Jack fussing over a banged up tea-kettle. He gave her a tin mug filled with steaming liquid, and she gave him a nervous smile. She sniffed. Camomile.

"So..." She said, twirling the metal cup in her paws. "How many know?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Honestly? Probably just me. You're a bunny cop. That's _literally_ the most noticeable thing about you. Everybody remembers the bunny cop. Take the bunny out of the uniform, and she's just another bunny to most."

She nodded. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or insulted. She looked up.

"Not to you?"

He sipped his own cup with a shrug.

"You're kind of a big deal in the rabbit community, remember? Putting us on the map? Anyway. I assume you're here about the thing with the sheep?"

Judy nodded.

"And the other two things, yeah."

"Well, you're wasting your time. The cats ain't gonna let bad publicity leak out, the thing with the missing luggage got out because one of 'em had a blog or something..."

Judy looked up sharply. He met her gaze calmly, sipping his herbal tea.

"You mean there were... More incidents?"

"More than my job's worth, miss."

"Judy, please."

She didn't like being called 'miss' by someone her own age. It made her feel old. He moved his head back and forth, and no new answers seemed forthcoming. Judy sighed, and kept sipping her tea.

Well, more incidents or not, it didn't make the case any clearer: who would pick a hotel for a string of hate crimes? This was in the middle of nowhere, so there would be no locals. The staff wouldn't do it, because you didn't run a fancy place like this if you were the type to sabotage your own business. And no guest would stay long enough, or frequently enough, to...

She wrinkled her brow.

"Does Odinson stay here a lot?"

She glanced at the other rabbit, who once again moved his head back and forth in a none-commitant gesture. Judy sighed.

"Look, Jack, this can go two ways: either it's just two rabbits having tea in the break room, chewing the fat, or there's a police cruiser driving up to the front of the hotel and asking to talk to Jack Salem. I don't like it, but that's how things are."

He looked at her for a little bit, as if judging if she was serious. Then he put down his cup.

"Alright... What do you know about the situation up north?"

"What?" She said, puzzled by the sudden change of topic. "It's going... Forward, isn't it? I think there was something in the news about it..."

"It is" he agreed. "The insurgents are being pushed back, and the army has managed to regain control of most of the transportation routs. But it's been hairy. Seriously hairy, and there's a lot of fallout, mainly timberwolves and arctic foxes heading south. I got nothin' against wolves. Used to work in a garage... But these guys! I don't even think they've seen a prey before, they're straight out of the mountains! Some of them act as if the Canine Syndicate was still in charge... Anyway, what's a hotel filled with snow leopards to do, seeing fellow arctic predators in distress?"

Something clicked inside Judy's mind.

" _That's_ why Odinson is here!" She shouted, and he winced. She lowered her voice. "He's meeting with the refugees?"

Jack calmly sipped his cup.

"He ain't staying for the tolerant atmosphere."

Judy's mind reeled. She had a sudden vision of dozens -hundreds- of predators, driven out of isolated villages and distant farmsteads, making their way to Zootopia. And the first things they'd see wasn't Savannah Central or Tundratown, but a resort for interspecies couples...

She jumped to her feet.

"I- I have to go" she said, mostly to herself. She put down the teacup and moved towards the door. Jack grabbed her arm, and she looked over at him. The paw was... Normal sized. Not large, like a fox's. He looked a little uncomfortable.

"Miss Ho- Judy. You're not... Really dating that fox, are you?"

He looked at her with pleading eyes, and she could only stare.

"He's a police officer" she heard herself say. "He's my partner on the force."

He broke into a grin.

"That's good to hear. For a moment, I was worried you were one of those, you know..."

"No, we're just friends, I think..."

There it was again. It was her voice, the words were coming from her mouth, but she could have sworn it wasn't her talking.

He smiled at her and let her go, and Judy exited before she had a chance to think about what she had just said.

\---

Their room had been vandalised.

Nick was already there when she arrived, as well as several of the staff and guests. He smiled reassuringly as he saw her.

"Nothing's taken" he assured her. She looked up at him, then walked through the door.

The room was a mess; their luggage was strewn across the floor. The bed, absurdly had been cut up. A mirror was smashed. Over the window, someone had spray painted the word 'bunny', and another word beginning with the same letter.

"Now that's just a contradiction in terms" he remarked, moving up behind her. "You can't both be lagomorph and canine."

He reached out to hold her paw, and she flinched back, instinctively. She regretted it immediately as she saw the hurt look that flitted across his face.

"For the audience, _dear_ " he hissed, smiling through his teeth.

She still didn't take his paw, but pointed towards the verandah. He nodded.

"I talked to Al" Nick said, before she could fill him in on what Jack had told her. "He said Odinson isn't happy about the attacks. Draws too much attention to this place, and him being here."

"Al told you that?"

"Yeah. Mary was late, so we got to talking."

Judy looked pensive.

That also made sense, even if it was a little worrying. She'd assumed he was here to drum up support with the new arrivals. Drumming up secret support was... Worrying, but suggested the wolves weren't responsible. Timberwolves were disciplined; she'd learned that at Cliffside.

She filled Nick in on what Jack had told her, omitting his species. Nick nodded, then leaned against the railing with a sigh.

"Alright, so we're back to square one: zero suspects. Our esteemed city council wolf is in the clear, there are no locals, and the staff have nothing to gain. Wonderful."

"Well, not all the staff seem so invested in the hotel..."

He raised an eyebrow expectantly, but before her swam a vision of a certain cream-coloured rabbit. The expression on his face when he'd asked about Nick...

"Like who?"

"Well, there's this bunny-"

It was freezing. She could still feel the temperature drop a little when the words left her mouth.

"Ah."

"It's not like that!" She said, defensively. "I've just seen him around, I-"

The final piece clicked into place. Her eyes widened.

She slapped her forehead with a paw, closing her eyes.

"'I've seen him around'. Oh, I am an IDIOT!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The author makes no apology for speculating in Zootopian foreign policy or the nature of traditionally predatory societies.


	5. Chapter 5

The snow fell lightly on the patio. The great glacier on the other side was invisible in the darkness, and the arctic night nipped cruelly at all exposed flesh. The hotel glittered like a crystal abomination behind it, a monument to all things decadent and flawed.

The one who didn't belong didn't want to go in. It was nice here, in the cold. Primal.

And the patio carried such fond memories of sweet, sheep suffering.

There was shouting from within. Someone was arguing. High-pitched canine voice, angry. Wolf? Fox. A smaller, pointless, annoying voice, answering.

The door was flung up, and the bunny, the wretched bunny, stormed out into the night in a huff. She was angry. She was... Crying? Crying. Getting away. Alone on the patio, no fox following.

There was no hitched breath, no sound to give away the one in the shadows. Just the slow creep, unheard by the sobbing deviant, unseen, ready to push, to harm, to-

Judy spun around, her stun-gun pointed in precisely the right angle. There was a high, terrified shriek as voltage raced through flesh, and then Mary Woodworth collapsed on the patio, stunned.

Judy pocketed the weapon as Nick and the staff followed her out the door to pick up her fallen adversary,

"This may be speciest" she said to no-one in particular, "but I am _seriously_ getting a bad impression of sheep."

\---

"Sheep require a shepherd. The weak masses a strong leader. Swine... Need a butcher..."

Mary Woodworth was staring into the distance. She was in an interview room at the station. Technically, she was giving a statement, but the antelope doctor by her side was taking most of the notes. Nick, Judy and Chief Bogo was staring at her through the two-way glass.

"I was... Seven years old" she continued, still staring into the distance- into the past. Her eyes were glazed over. "The bears attacked my flock at the edge of the pasture. I can still remember it. I see it every night, those strong, ursine muscles moving beneath the coarse fur, the slavering teeth..."

The doctor made prim, professional notes without betraying any emotion. The hippo officer looked a little sick.

"What... _Is_ she?" Judy asked into the air. "I mean, Bellwether I could understand, powergrab and all that, but this one just wants... Predators in charge?"

"It's called Buckholm Syndrome" the chief explained. "It's a form of defensive mechanism in small prey, a sort of desire to submit to a strong predator. If you're useful, you're less likely to be eaten."

The buffalo looked through the glass, despondently. Judy was surprised to suddenly see him looking... Old.

"Presumably, a beaver was as close to a predator as she dared come. She must have struck out against the other interspecies couples as a form of self loathing. Particularly you and the sheep; small prey apparently dating large predators. Girls who had everything she wanted...."

Nick turned to Judy, curious.

"You still haven't told me how you figured it out."

She shrugged.

"Odinson" she said simply. "When I first met her, she told me she hadn't been to the resort before. But at the dinner, she mentioned she had 'seen him around a few times'- meaning at the resort. That's why she wasn't in the registry: she wasn't a guest, she was just stalking Odinson, and taking her frustration out in the process. I suppose the obsession was a result of the Syndrome too."

She looked at the sheep again. There was a pained, almost desperate pitch to her explanation, as if she was trying to convince herself more than the listeners. It was... Sad.

It didn't feel like they'd caught the bad guy, it just felt like they'd uncovered something painful. Exposed something shameful to the world. When tears started streaming down the face of the still smiling sheep, Judy looked away.

And that was... That.

Mayor Fenris, a wolf, was now going to have to run a liberal campaign with a sheep canvasing against him. Odinson would use her for all she was worth, an example of prey submission. That'd prompt prey activist groups against him, and that in turn would make predators edgy, driving them towards Odinson.

Making more prey groups.

Judy suddenly wondered why Bellwether had even bothered using poison. It seemed to her that mammals were rather like a snowball: just start the ball rolling and watch it gather momentum on its own.

She blinked as she and Nick exited the station. Predictably, protesters were already gathering outside the police station. She thought she recognised a pig from the protest against Gazelle.

Oddly, all this made her feel a little better about herself. The last time anti-predator pogroms had broken out in Zootopia, it had been her speech that had sparked it. But she realised now that Bogo had been right: the world had always been broken. She hadn't started it, predators and prey had just been waiting for an excuse to tear down the niceties that had painstakingly been built up.

Niceties such as equal rights for predator and prey.

Niceties such as tolerance for interspecies couples.

As the two of them watched the gathering protesters, it began to sink in just how right Jack had been to be relieved. A bunny in a relationship with a fox was in for a world of hurt. If either of them knew what was good for them, they'd stay strictly friends.

Nick took a deep, content breath, then exhaled slowly with closed eyes. Opening them, he looked down at her.

"Judy Hopps" he said seriously, "will you go out with me?"

She looked up at him.

"Yes, Nicholas" she firmly. "Yes, I will."

And he smiled at her, and she smiled at him, and when she held out her paw he took it in his, and as Goldiears said of the porridge, this one was _just right_. And they thumbed their nose at the protesters as if it was the most natural thing in the world, which she supposed it was.

That bastard Shawn had only been after her sister anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it, my first attempt at a whodunnit, thought I suppose in the Zootopian universe, it's more of a whatdunnit.
> 
> Anyway. Once more, a sequel exists! It is longer, darker, and in my mind, better. It will conclude the series, but it won't be up for a few weeks, as it requires editing. It will be rated M, but don't get your hopes up for smut- the most suggestive thing at this point is an eclair. 
> 
> In the meantime, I can highly recommend 'Don't Let Go' by JustNibblin. It has far too few hits for such an awesome fic, and my only reservation in recommending it is that I can't imagine why you'd return for my sequel after reading something that good:
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/8054719/chapters/18453178


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